Gay couples from New Mexico can marry in Massachusetts because their home state has not explicitly banned same-sex marriage. New Mexico joins Rhode Island as the only states whose gay residents are allowed to marry in Massachusetts, the only state that has legalized same-sex marriage. But neither Rhode Island nor New Mexico has said it would recognize the marriages after its residents return home.
Stanley Nyberg, Massachusetts' Registrar of Vital Records, instructed city and town clerks in a July 18 notice to give marriage licenses to gay couples from New Mexico.
Alexis Blizman, executive director of the pro-gay marriage group Equality New Mexico, said she was pleased by the decision, but predicted it would not lead to a rush to Massachusetts. "It's just another reminder that New Mexican same-sex couples need legal protections and rather than having them seek them out elsewhere, certainly we'd rather have them be able to achieve those here at home," she said.
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